Highlights

.Saint Peter’s Cathedral. The central point of Geneva’s old town. One-hundred-and-fifty-seven steps lead to the summit of the cathedral’s north tower and to a fabulous panorama overlooking the city and the lake. Underneath the cathedral there is one of Europe’s largest subterranean archeological sites. Open Mon – Sat 10 am – 5.30 pm, Sun noon – 5.30 pm, access to the towers CHF 4.-

Institute and Museum Voltaire, rue des Délices 25. The life and work of Voltaire in the 18th century. Located in the mansion owned by the philosopher from 1755-1765. Free entrance, open Mon – Sat 2 – 5 pm, Sun closed.

Russian Church. A jewel of Byzantine art, with an interior richly decorated with icons. Rue Rodolphe-Toepffer 3. Open for visitors only sporadically, but it’s even worth seeing from outside.

Espace Jean-Jacques Rousseau, with Public and University Library at Grand-Rue 40. One part of this museum recalls the Reformation Movement and its leaders in Geneva. The second part is dedicated to the city’s most famous son, Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Open Tue - Sun 11.30 am - 5.30 pm. Entrance CHF 5.- / students CHF 3.-.

Museum of Art & History. Rue Charles-Galland 2. This is one of the most important museums. The collection comprises paintings, sculptures, weapons, room interiors and archeology. Open Tue - Sun 10 am – 5 pm. Entrance free (paying entrance for temporary exhibitions: CHF 5.-, free admission to permanent collections and temporary exhibitions every first Sunday of the month).

Water Fountain (Jet d’eau). The famous Geneva fountain is known around the world as a symbol of Geneva (Quai Gustav-Ador). The fountain shoots 500 liters (132 gallons) of water per second, as high as 450 feet in the air. A good place from which to take a picture of Geneva. Notice: It’s not activated in case of strong winds, when the temperature is lower than 2 degrees, and for 3 weeks of checkup in November!

TIP Audio-guided visit of the old town
Pick up a map and a portable recorder (recordings are available in French, English, German, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Arabic, Japanese and Korean) from the tourist office ( at Rue du Mont-Blanc 18) for an informative walk through Geneva at your own pace. This self-guided walk includes 25 points of interest and lasts approximately two and a half hours. Costs CHF 10.– plus a deposit of CHF 50.- (to be refunded when returning the recorder).

For the Red Cross Museum, the United Nations, the Mamco museum, cruises on Lake Geneva and more about Geneva’s highlights see 'Arround Geneva'